ejp626 Posted May 9 Report Posted May 9 I just finished State of Grace by Joy Williams. The writing, as ever, is fine, but I just really couldn't get into the story. I have a few more by her to read, so I am hoping I like the next one better. I'm just starting The Book of Lamentations by Rosario Castellanos, which seems promising, but I won't know until I really get into it. Quote
Pim Posted May 11 Report Posted May 11 On 4/15/2025 at 9:26 PM, Pim said: these two will keep me busy the coming time I think I have finished the book by Gasset. I am only on page 150 of Spinoza. The ethics is probably one of the most complicated philosophy books. It is more studying than reading but I enjoy every letter. If a philosopher is complicated and I don't like it I can't get through it but Spinoza is from another world. It is bizarre how someone in that time could think so revolutionary. A true genius. It is not for nothing that Einstein said that he believed in the God of Spinoza. I will continue reading and I must say that the translator's notes help enormously. However, I like to alternate with lighter fare. That is why I keep this one next to me. Written in the third century after Christ, this book contains a great deal of biographical information about all kinds of ancient philosophers who have been forgotten. I always find it fascinating to read books from this period because they give an enormously vivid picture of what life was like at that time. And that often resembles our current life more than you would think Quote
Rabshakeh Posted Saturday at 10:21 AM Report Posted Saturday at 10:21 AM I've decided to read David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest finally. For whatever reason the book seems to have replaced Ulysses as the book that an intelligent person is supposed to have read, and it now seems to be the go-to indicator for young people who came of age with social media to determine whether someone is a serious reader. I have enjoyed other internet era touchstones like 2666 and I am a shallow person so I decided it is time that I had to read it. My initial impression 100 pages in is surprise at how terrible it is. It seems begging on its knees desperate to be Pynchon, but Wallace is just a terrible writer sentence-by-sentence (some of the sentances are eye-raisingly bad without ever being funny), the tone is leaden and tiresome, and the only thing interesting about the ideas and setting is that Wallace considered them interesting. The purpose of the footnotes seems to be to give academics something in the book's form to discuss. But mostly it is that cringing humiliating derivative relationship to Pynchon (similar to e.g. Neal Stephenson ripping off William Gibson's classics) is really distracting for me. I can only assume that it is famous because it is long; has encyclopedic pretentions (well, foot notes); because the main character fits the internet archetype of the gifted kid dropout; and because the people reading it confuse an inability to write with complexity. It feels.at this stage like it is going to be a long 981 pages, so if I am missing anything let me know. I'm always willing to be correct. Perhaps the book is plot driven or picks up as it goes. On 5/12/2025 at 2:34 AM, GA Russell said: Eleven Lew Archer short stories. Macdonald can have a lot of plotting issues (the opposite of Agatha Christie's: everyone just confesses immediately upon being confirmed and in sequential order), but when his books are good they are very good and among my favourites of their type. Quote
medjuck Posted Saturday at 03:22 PM Report Posted Saturday at 03:22 PM 4 hours ago, Rabshakeh said: I've decided to read David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest finally. For whatever reason the book seems to have replaced Ulysses as the book that an intelligent person is supposed to have read, and it now seems to be the go-to indicator for young people who came of age with social media to determine whether someone is a serious reader. I have enjoyed other internet era touchstones like 2666 and I am a shallow person so I decided it is time that I had to read it. My initial impression 100 pages in is surprise at how terrible it is. It seems begging on its knees desperate to be Pynchon, but Wallace is just a terrible writer sentence-by-sentence (some of the sentances are eye-raisingly bad without ever being funny), the tone is leaden and tiresome, and the only thing interesting about the ideas and setting is that Wallace considered them interesting. The purpose of the footnotes seems to be to give academics something in the book's form to discuss. But mostly it is that cringing humiliating derivative relationship to Pynchon (similar to e.g. Neal Stephenson ripping off William Gibson's classics) is really distracting for me. I can only assume that it is famous because it is long; has encyclopedic pretentions (well, foot notes); because the main character fits the internet archetype of the gifted kid dropout; and because the people reading it confuse an inability to write with complexity. It feels.at this stage like it is going to be a long 981 pages, so if I am missing anything let me know. I'm always willing to be correct. Perhaps the book is plot driven or picks up as it goes. Macdonald can have a lot of plotting issues (the opposite of Agatha Christie's: everyone just confesses immediately upon being confirmed and in sequential order), but when his books are good they are very good and among my favourites of their type. I had exactly the same response to Infinite Jest. One of the few books I've never finished after reading 100 pages. (And I love Pynchon). Also agree about MacDonald. Quote
Dub Modal Posted yesterday at 02:04 PM Report Posted yesterday at 02:04 PM Like Moldea's Dark Victory, the beginning of this book includes some interesting connections and happenings in the early jazz scene. This one touches on the earlier part of the post war era too. So far, six chapters in and it's extremely good. Quote
Niko Posted yesterday at 07:14 PM Report Posted yesterday at 07:14 PM On 5/17/2025 at 5:22 PM, medjuck said: I had exactly the same response to Infinite Jest. One of the few books I've never finished after reading 100 pages. (And I love Pynchon). Also agree about MacDonald. I sure didn't make it to page 100... Glad I still grew up in a world where Robert Musil's Invisible Man was the book to read... I didn't finish that one either but at least I did enjoy the 600 pages I read ... Regarding Macdonald, what I really love about him is that he can be reread so many times... And the challenges in plotting certainly contribute to that ... Chandler and Hammett wrote far fewer novels, and they're far more memorable - but that also means that you can only read Chandler and Hammett so many times... Quote
sgcim Posted yesterday at 08:06 PM Report Posted yesterday at 08:06 PM 46 minutes ago, Niko said: I sure didn't make it to page 100... Glad I still grew up in a world where Robert Musil's Invisible Man was the book to read... I didn't finish that one either but at least I did enjoy the 600 pages I read ... Regarding Macdonald, what I really love about him is that he can be reread so many times... And the challenges in plotting certainly contribute to that ... Chandler and Hammett wrote far fewer novels, and they're far more memorable - but that also means that you can only read Chandler and Hammett so many times... Did you mean Musil's "The Man Without Qualities"? I never made it through that one either, but I loved Infinite Jest. It got me through the lock down. Can't wait for Pynchon's new book coming out in October; he's 88 years old. It's about the Big Band Era in 1930s Germany, among other things... Quote
Rabshakeh Posted yesterday at 08:17 PM Report Posted yesterday at 08:17 PM Musil seems to be gaining traction in the English speaking world. That's a book I greatly enjoy although obviously it has flaws that you can see from space. Currently keeping myself going through IJ by remembering that I still have a fair few Pynchons to read. Quote
Niko Posted yesterday at 08:34 PM Report Posted yesterday at 08:34 PM 24 minutes ago, sgcim said: Did you mean Musil's "The Man Without Qualities"? I never made it through that one either, but I loved Infinite Jest. It got me through the lock down. Can't wait for Pynchon's new book coming out in October; he's 88 years old. It's about the Big Band Era in 1930s Germany, among other things... Without Qualities, yes, sorry, was too lazy to gogle the English name or properly remember the German one... (I do find Qualities a weird translation but Properties wouldn't have done either...) Quote
ejp626 Posted 5 hours ago Report Posted 5 hours ago 18 hours ago, Rabshakeh said: Musil seems to be gaining traction in the English speaking world. That's a book I greatly enjoy although obviously it has flaws that you can see from space. Currently keeping myself going through IJ by remembering that I still have a fair few Pynchons to read. I did manage to get through the 2 volume set (in English) but then managed to find a used bookstore to take it off my hands. (Harder than it should have been...) NYRB recently published an extract of Man without Qualities centered on Ulrich's sister Agathe. I assume this reads much more like a conventional novel. https://www.nyrb.com/products/agathe-or-the-forgotten-sister Quote
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